Bay Area News Group baseball rankings: Archbishop Mitty, Palo Alto rise toward top

Top-ranked De La Salle continues to roll; Leigh, a winner of nine in a row, makes a huge leap into the Top 10.

Bay Area News Group Top 20

(Mercury News & East Bay Times)

No. 1 DE LA SALLE (8-1)

Previous ranking: 1

What’s happened since the last ranking: Spartans tightened their grip on No. 1 with a 16-4 victory over Dougherty Valley (8-3). Future San Jose State Spartan Cade Cushing homered and had three RBIs.

Up next: Today at Monte Vista, 4 p.m.

No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (9-2)

Previous ranking: 3

What’s happened since the last ranking: Mitty bounces back from 5-3 loss to Bellarmine over the weekend and beats Riordan 6-1 on Tuesday. SS Jarren Advincula goes 3-for-3 and knocks in two. 

Up next: Friday vs. St. Francis, 4 p.m.

No. 3 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (8-2)

Previous ranking: 2

What’s happened since the last ranking: Ugly Eagles shut out for first time in 4-0 loss to College Park on Tuesday. CVC has managed only one run in its last two games. Beat Campolindo 1-0 last Thursday.

Up next: Thursday at College Park, 4 p.m.

No. 4 CALIFORNIA (11-1)

Previous ranking: 4

What’s happened since the last ranking: Two days after Monte Vista ended Grizzlies’ 10-game win streak, Cal scored six runs in its final two at-bats to beat San Ramon Valley 6-4. Dom Tuyor was the hero with a two-run walk-off homer in the seventh.

Up next: Today vs. Dougherty Valley, 4 p.m.

No. 5 PALO ALTO (11-1)

Previous ranking: 6

What’s happened since the last ranking: Vikings won their last two games by 29 runs. Senior sluggers Henry Bolte and Rowan Felsch combined for 10 hits and 12 RBI as Palo Alto ran its win streak to nine.

Up next: Today at Santa Clara, 4 p.m

No. 6 ST. FRANCIS (11-2)

Previous ranking: 7

What’s happened since the last ranking: Max Ross and Christian Galvez each drove in two runs, and Tristan Kim pitched six strong innings as the Lancers beat St. Ignatius 4-2. St. Francis now 6-0 in WCAL play.

Up next: Friday at Archbishop Mitty, 4 p.m

No. 7 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (9-3-1)

Previous ranking: 5

What’s happened since the last ranking: Warriors and Bellarmine played to a 5-5 tie Tuesday in a game called in the 11th due of darkness. VC trailed 5-4 going to the bottom of the 10th but scored the equalizer on a wild pitch.

Up next: Friday at Serra, 4 p.m.

No. 8 FOOTHILL (10-1)

Previous ranking: 9

What’s happened since the last ranking: SS Payton McMillan and 3B Jack Basseer both homered in wins last week as the Falcons beat Livermore and Granada. Foothill is riding a five-game winning streak. 

Up next: Today vs. Dublin, 4 p.m.

No. 9 LEIGH (10-2)

Previous ranking: 17

What’s happened since the last ranking: Longhorns climb eight spots after sweeping Willow Glen, previously ranked 10th. Leigh has won nine straight. Pitchers Dillion Haftorson and Miles Lu are a combined 7-2, 2.23 ERA in nine starts. 

Up next: Today at Sobrato, 4 p.m.

No. 10 SAN RAMON VALLEY (9-3)

Previous ranking: 8

What’s happened since the last ranking: Wolves scored twice in the eighth to beat Dougherty Valley 4-3, then blew a four-run lead in a loss to California. Michael Banderas gave up one hit, fanned 12 in 7 IP against Dougherty. 

Up next: Today at Granada, 4 p.m.

No. 11 WILCOX (10-4)

Previous ranking: 18

What’s happened since the last ranking: Chargers scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh Tuesday to beat Capuchino 4-3. Wilcox has won six in a row. 

Up next: Today vs. Cupertino, 4 p.m.

No. 12 WILLOW GLEN (9-2-1)

Previous ranking: 10

What’s happened since the last ranking: Rams hit three triples in a 10-2 win over Silver Creek that ended a two-game skid. Willow Glen will be searching for its first league win when it hosts Santa Teresa (11-2) today.

Up next: Today vs. Santa Teresa, 4 p.m.

No. 13 MOUNTAIN VIEW (8-3)

Previous ranking: 14

What’s happened since the last ranking: Spartans stole eight bags in the second game of a two-game sweep against Los Gatos. Chase Yocum leads the team with 11. He’s also the team leader in wins (3) and ERA (0.84).

Up next: Today vs. Homestead, 4 p.m.

No. 14 BELLARMINE (9-4-1)

Previous ranking: Unranked

What’s happened since the last ranking: Bellarmine makes strong introduction into BANG rankings with back-to-back wins over Serra and Mitty. Played to 5-5 tie vs. Valley Christian on Tuesday. Game ended in the 11th because of darkness. Rowan Kelly homered for the Bells. 

Up next: Friday vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral, 4 p.m.

No. 15 PITTSBURG (11-2)

Previous ranking: 15

What’s happened since the last ranking: Pirates lost their league opener to Liberty 8-1 on Tuesday. Liberty scored four runs in each of the first two innings.

Up next: Thursday at Liberty, 4 p.m.

No. 16 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (8-3-1)

Previous ranking: 11

What’s happened since the last ranking: SHCP snapped a three-game losing streak, all to WCAL rivals, beating Serra 9-6. Irish scored eight runs in the fourth. SHCP had just three hits for the entire game but took advantage of nine walks.

Up next: Friday at Bellarmine, 4 p.m.

No. 17 ALAMEDA (8-1)

Previous ranking: 16

What’s happened since the last ranking: The Hornets recovered from their only loss of the season by scoring in every inning of a 16-1 thrashing of West-Tracy. Bishop O’Dowd should provide a little tougher test.

Up next: Today at Bishop O’Dowd, 6:30 p.m.

No. 18 ACALANES (7-4)

Previous ranking: Unranked

What’s happened since the last ranking: Dons make their first appearance in the rankings thanks to a five-game win streak that includes a two-game sweep of College Park. Benjy Braunstein and Henry Souza have a combined 1.63 ERA in 38⅔ innings.

Up next: Today vs. Las Lomas, 4 p.m.

No. 19 COLLEGE PARK (7-4)

Previous ranking: Unranked

What’s happened since the last ranking: Falcons are rolling with four straight wins, including a 4-0 whitewash of No. 3 Clayton Valley Tuesday. Seven of 11 opponents were ranked at the time they played CP. Pitching continues to dominate, as the Falcons have a 1.62 team ERA. 

Up next: Thursday vs. Clayton Valley Charter, 4 p.m.

No. 20 SANTA TERESA (11-2)

Previous ranking: Unranked

What’s happened since the last ranking: The Saints march in having won three of four. Senior Brandon Ashley has worked 16⅔ innings without yielding an earned run. 

Up next: Today at Willow Glen, 4 p.m.

Also considered: Capuchino (10-4), Heritage (6-5), Serra (8-7), Campolindo (5-4).